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I Was Confused When 13 Trucks Line Up And Block Highway, But I Cry When I See The Truth

I Was Confused When 13 Trucks Line Up And Block Highway, But I Cry When I See The Truth

Doug

We all really do have a lot to thank our law enforcement officers for. These men in blue come across all sorts of things in their line of duty, and at the end of the day, they end up saving very many lives. Sometimes they find themselves in difficult situations but they are trained to be patient, and in so doing, they become our heroes. While the name ‘cop’ may not always bring a smile on your face (you may think of handcuffs and a cell), you should take a moment to think about what these officers face every day to keep you and your loved ones safe.

State Trooper Michael Shaw was just going about his routine business when he received a call instructing him to go to a scene where a man was about to jump off a highway bridge. This was shocking, but he had to act fast if he was going to save the man’s life. We may not know much about law enforcement and the protocol for dissuading suicidal people, but we know that if Officer Michael had made one wrong move, the man could have made the jump a lot sooner than expected.

Shaw arrived at the scene, and he was immediately faced with a dilemma; he could go up to the man, try forcing him out of it but risk him jumping if he approached, or seek help from anyone he could find but still risk him jumping if he took too long. The officer decided to go with the second option; if the man was going to jump, he would have done it already. Reasoning out with a suicidal person can be quite the task.

The first thing that came to Officer Shaw’s mind was to seek help from the traffic officer. He requested to have the traffic redirected, and soon there was a massive traffic jam. The officers then asked for help from truck drivers, and after explaining the situation, they were only too glad to help. Soon, more than six trucks lined up under the bridge side-by-side, creating a barrier from the rough tarmac below. If the man decided to jump, he would probably sustain some few injuries but would not die since the impact with the trucks would be a lot less harmful than that with the tarmac.

The other drivers were becoming impatient, but when they realized what was happening, they did not mind at all. There was an ongoing attempt to save someone’s life, and everything else could wait.

Michael and his team then got down to the task of convincing the man that there were other ways of dealing with his problem, other than taking his life. After four hours or so, they managed to pull him off the bridge, and he was immediately taken in for psychological help. Another life saved.

This may sound cliché, but we should never get tired of emphasizing that suicide is not an answer. There are many other ways to deal with whatever is bothering you without killing yourself. If you need help or you know anyone who is considering suicide, be sure to reach out to the police, local religious leaders, counselors or anyone else who can help. We are, after all, here for each other, aren’t we?